“Shadow helps me every day. It starts in the morning when I wake up. He fits as much of himself as he can into my lap. We sit there and I pet him until I feel ready to face the day. He gets me moving around. I have to do things, even if it’s just playing with him, to keep him active. He helps me with my mobility. He knows how to help me stand up, how to get my cane. He watches out for my emotions. If I’m getting too stressed he will literally drive me out of where I am at.

“I have a lot of nightmares. Shadow wakes me up. He gets right in my face and breathes on me until I wake up. And if that doesn’t work he’ll put his face on top of mine and if that doesn’t work then he resorts to whacking me with a paw.”